At San Quentin

Well, boys and girls (although I'm pretty sure no one is reading this), it's been a while since my last post and I have a few things to get off my chest... so, here we go!

First of all, can somebody tell me what kind of a world we live in where a talentless loser named Chico, from a damn reality TV show of all places (which he didn't even WIN!), can get to number 1 in the UK charts with a novelty song called 'It's Chico Time'???? I'm not kidding, what is this world coming to? I really am losing all hope for the music industry.

Luckily for you, I have the answer. It's going to be quite fantastic come August! We have finished recording all the guitar parts for the forthcoming Alphino acoustic album. Yes, all 13 tracks have been laid down in acoustic form (the album will only be 12 tracks, so keep an eye out for an exclusive online-only b-side either here or on the Alphino page), so we've chosen what songs will make the album, and I can reveal that the majority of them are brand new songs - never heard anywhere before! Now all that remains is recording the vocals, all the other intruments (which will include brass, wind, string intruments as well as a choir), then adding all the sound effects. This part really excites us, as we've been out and about recording very random noises to include in the songs - such as the ocean, friday nights in town centres and drunk kids on a pier!!!!

After that we need to record our filler tracks, which will lead songs into each other, then mix and master the whole thing. When that's done we shall be sending it off with the artwork to be professionally produced. And then we're done! So, kids, it's looking like august time for a finished product. Believe me, it'll be worth the wait. This is the greatest thing we've ever done.

On a different note, it was my sister's 30th birthday the other week, and she held a fancy dress party. The theme was Myths, Legends & Fairytales, and let me tell you some of the costumes were incredible! I will have pics (maybe even video) of the night up here soon so you can see us in all our moronic glory!

Musically, I urge you to please go and buy a Johnny Cash CD. Any one will do (but preferably 'At Folsom Prison' or 'At San Quentin') as they really are astounding. I've been a Cash fan all my life, but I'm willing to admit that the recent - and superb - film 'Walk The Line' has fired me up again. This guy pre-dated Elvis and The Beatles, and led one of the most amazing lives you can imagine. And unlike Elvis and his rock 'n' roll peers, he sang about drugs, violence, murder and mayhem ---- and this was in 1956!!!!!! The original bad boy. As Bono so eloquently put it, "every man knows he is a sissy compared to Johnny Cash".

Well, until next time, be safe and look after each other my little ones...

Peace xxxx